The NEC welcomed Preet Gill MP, who was elected as Vice-Chair of the Co-operative Parliamentary Group.  Preet will now serve on the NEC representing the Westminster Group alongside the Group’s Chair, Jim McMahon MP.

Elections are ongoing for a new NEC 2020-23, to take office from the AGM in June.  This was therefore the last meeting for several members of the NEC, including Alun Michael, who has represented Wales on the NEC for over 25 years.  Former Chairs of the NEC, Gareth Thomas MP (London), Jim Lee (Scotland) and the current Chair, Chris Herries (East) are also standing down.

The Party’s Auditor was present at the meeting to present her report on the audited accounts and to answer questions.

The Board Report and Audited Accounts were approved and signed.  These will be submitted to the Electoral Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority and available for members to discuss at the Party’s AGM in Birmingham on 6 June.

The Annual Review summarises the Party’s work throughout the year and supplements the formal Board Report and Accounts.  This was approved by the NEC and will be circulated to local Parties and subscribing Societies in advance of the AGM in June.

Jim McMahon MP gave a report to the NEC on recent work by the Westminster Parliamentary group which included:

• Intensive work on the violence against shopworkers campaign including PMQ, Treasury questions and a Westminster Hall debate
• Several members of the Group (Tracy Brabin, Luke Pollard and Rachael Maskell) joining the Shadow Cabinet
• Debates, meetings with ministers and questions on other priorities for the Party and the movement including community assets, funeral pre-payment regulation and social care.

The NEC reviewed membership and recruitment for 2019.

Total membership at 31 December was 11,041
This reflects lower recruitment, but also the removal of a large number of members who were in arrears for two years or more.

Total recruitment to 31 December was 1,371.

Recruitment through the spring and early summer was challenging but we returned to strong growth from August through to the General Election.

Membership income to 31 December was £326,500
Despite total membership falling slightly, total income has grown 15% compared to last year (+£42,000) through improved renewals and doubling the number paying higher rates.

The proportion of members who are women is now above 35% for the first time. While still too low, we’re making steady progress to increase the number of women members: 40% of new members are women, which is the highest we’re ever recorded.

Annual Conference will take place on 16-18 October in Leeds.  For the first time, the AGM will be separate to Annual Conference, on Saturday 6 June in Birmingham.

The NEC reviewed the feedback from Annual Conference 2019 in Glasgow and the Conference Arrangements Committee’s draft programme for 2020.  The overall feedback from last year’s conference was excellent.

419 people registered to attend the Conference in Glasgow, this is almost double the 220 that attended the last time we were in Scotland (Edinburgh, 2013).

The number of delegates was 227, down just one compared to the previous year. There were fewer delegates from societies due to diary clashes, but more party councils sent the expected number of delegates (one per branch or one per 50 members).

The number of visitors was down to 101 (from 143), this reflects fewer members living nearby who could travel to Conference and back in one day.

There were also fewer ex-officio and speakers, this was mainly due to changes in the Conference programme and how some sessions were organised.

Based on membership records, 37% of delegates were women (35% of all members); and 14% were under 31 (10% of all members).

We don’t collect other demographic data, but for those who provided feedback: 7% were BAME; 16% had a disability; 8% were LGBT+; 40% were women, and 11% were <31.

Attendees were also asked about the format of Conference with the broad consensus being that the current length of Conference and the balance between time for speakers and attendees were both about right.

77% agreed that Conference was about the right length, 15% thinking it should be longer and 8% thinking it should be shorter. 76% agreed the balance between speaking time for keynotes/panels and attendees was about right, with 11% wanting fewer keynotes/panels, while 12% wanted more.

The NEC considered the feedback and proposed that the purpose of regional delegate meetings should be clarified and moved to Saturday morning if possible.  It was also agreed to review the format of parliamentary reports.

Members of the Disability Network had been asked to visit to the 2020 Annual Conference venue.  They submitted a detailed report and made a series of recommendations to the hotel and to CAC.

The NEC also considered a report on the recommended minimum delegate numbers per party and agreed to urge all parties to send the requested number of delegates or more.

Key deadline to note:

3 July 2020 – deadline for early delegate registration and for topical issues and organisational motions

Other information and deadlines can be found here.

The NEC approved new procedures for selecting local government candidates, which will be circulated to local parties.  These procedures streamline and clarify the process for adopting Labour and Co-operative candidates, although the decision to endorse each will remain with the local Party or branch.

The General Secretary’s report to the NEC outlined the recent work of the Party under the five strategy objectives.  Alongside other ongoing work of the Party this included the General Election.

General Election overview

• 50 Candidates selected and 26 elected covering every nation and region
• Strong Labour manifesto influence – Including double the size (Co-operative Development Agency, legislation and funding), Retail workers, Right to food, Modern slavery, Community assets.
• Increasing members and supporters – through the course of the election and to the year end the Party attracted 500 new members and 5,500 new email supporters.
• Member mobilisation – Use of WhatsApp groups, zoom member conference campaign calls, regular email and campaign days, new merchandise lines.
• Candidate support – Individual specialist staff campaign support, campaign materials and merchandise, design support and staff campaign trips.
• Party communications and manifesto – wrote and held a launch for our manifesto, published specific Scotland and Wales policy, regular policy content on emails/blog/social media and grew social media reach.

Local Election preparation – candidate work

• Over hundred and twenty Council candidates have been processed ahead of the 2020 (now 2021) elections.
• The Party has written to one hundred and fifty Labour Groups circulating the new version of ’12 manifesto ideas’, the ‘Guide to becoming a Co-operative Candidate’ and a new local Government briefing.
• The Party is making individual contact with Councillors and activists ahead of selections and has started a series of candidate/activist phone conferences which will happen through the campaign.
• Liam Byrne has been selected as a Lab & Co-op Metro Mayor candidate.
• The Party now has a large number of prospective Labour and Co-operative  candidates Police & Crime Commissioner candidates and Party officers have also addressed a Labour Party organised pre-election meeting with all Labour candidates – briefing them on the Party’s work in relation to retail crime and community safety.

The Councillor Development Weekend in Manchester was attended by fourteen Councillors and a good range of speakers and presenters. Fifty Councillors applied from around the country.

Other work included

• Establishing the Party’s place in the Labour Leadership elections including hosting the London  hustings and close contact with candidates on the future relationship between the two parties as well as support for our policies.  You can read the candidates’ statements on support for our agenda here.
• The Party worked with the Co-operative Group to produce and host the launch of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Co-operative Commission report. Steve Murrells (Co-op Group CEO) spoke at the event and Andy Burnham accepted all 41 recommendations. Jim McMahon MP took the opportunity to raise the report within the Westminster Business statement.
• Scottish Party members voted for their choice for endorsement in the Scottish Deputy Leader contest – turn was 58%.
• Huw Irranca Davies AM and the Welsh Assembly Co-operative Group hosted a roundtable with over twenty participating organisations to discuss our commissioned report on ‘Working Co-operatively for Sustainable and Just Food Systems’.
• Dawn Bowden AM held a debate in the Welsh Assemblyon the power of co-operative housing solutions in helping to meet housing needs in communities across Wales.
• Successful Regional ‘Building a Fairer Future’ Conferences have taken place in the South East Region (Guildford) and the North West (Salford).
• Following the election the Party produced and published an alternative Queens Speech. This included calls for a new plan for a co-operative economy, a new bill for local empowerment, a Fair Food Act, a Protection of Shopworkers Bill, measures to provide proper environmental protection and new legislation for financial inclusion.
• The Party has launched the 2020 member led policy process focussing on ‘Community Connectivity’ and ‘Corporate Governance Reform’.
• Jim McMahon MP raised the issue of Co-operative movement leadership within the area of Fair Tax and economic contribution, the accompanying video contained a captured discussion between Jim and Anneliese Dodds (Lab/Co-op MP Shadow Treasury Minister).
• Support for Food Justice campaign in the Scottish Parliament – there has been a range of activity in Holyrood since the last NEC on this campaign. This has included supporting a petition on the Right to Food at the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee, supporting a motion on food insecurity in Scotland, and David Stewart MSP highlighting via a topical question the number of children likely to go hungry over Christmas.
• The Party worked with the London Party Council to draft and submit a policy submission to the formal process for Sadiq Khan’s manifesto.
• The Parliamentary Group held a meeting on Community Assets with representatives of the Co-op Group and invited the wider Friends of the Co-operative Ideal Labour members.
• The Party attended and addressed the Co-operative Group’s first event to bring together their Member Pioneer Coordinators and their Community and Shared Value teams. The event allowed the opportunity to present to key stakeholders about joint campaigning.
• The latest version of the Pioneer Magazine has been published with the focus on movement building.
• The latest subscribing societies meeting was held in Central England with each of the Party member Societies represented.
• The Party attended Scotmid’s 160^th anniversary.

Following the merger of both subscribing Societies and local Parties since the Co-operative Party Ltd rules were first registered in 2005, the NEC is proposing a change to the quorum for the AGM so that it remains in proportion to total number of organisational members.

The quorum will be amended from delegates from 20 local parties or affiliate members, and one member of the National Executive Committee  to delegates from 40% of local parties and affiliate members and one member of the National Executive Committee.

This rule change will be put to the AGM in June.

The NEC accepted Co-operatives UK new Code of Governance, which was completely revised in 2019.

The NEC focussed on three key themes over the weekend: Equalities; Active Members and Active Branches; and the Party’s leadership role in Labour and the co-operative movement.

Additional resources will be directed to supporting the growth and work of the networks: BAME, women, members with disabilities; LGBT+ and youth. There will also be a detailed plan to support diversity across all areas of the Party’s work including recruitment and representation.

The NEC Rules Sub Committee will look at the representation on the NEC of BAME, women, members with disabilities; LGBT+ and youth as well as local government (including Police & Crime Commissioners and Mayor), House of Lords and Northern Ireland.  Urgent priority will be given to the process for securing BAME representation.

They will also consider other changes to the Party’s rules and processes, including the 2019 Annual Conference resolution on gender balance.